The Boys – Punk Rock Anthology (Anagram Records)

The bluntly titled Punk Rock Anthology collects a staggering forty-seven tracks, spanning 1976 to 1980. The Boys were a good, if not particularly inspired, U.K. band who injected Stonesy boogie and junk-shop glam stomp (band member Casino Steel was in the New York Dolls-esque Hollywood Brats, who are covered twice and feted on the song “Hollywood Brats”) with the requisite punk levels of speed and nihilism. Their earliest songs where they’re mean and focused are the best, but when the British punk scene sunk under the weight of the Sex Pistols’ implosion The Boys shifted to a less interesting new wave sound featured on Disc Two. Even at their best they never had much substance and never found their niche (they steal from The Stones, The Dolls, The Who and Dylan), which is fine for a track or two, but then boredom sets in, making these albums best integrated into an iPod shuffling session.